Is Engagement Enough? Learning Through Classroom Interaction

• In Event: Poster Session 3
  In Poster Session: Division K Section 5 Poster Session

Abstract

Studies have provided correlational support for the influence of talk on comprehension, however few studies have attempted to connect classroom interactions to student comprehension of course content. Informed by socio-constructivism, we conducted a mixed-methods case study to explore how patterns of topically related interactional sequences influenced factual recall in an introductory educational psychology course for preservice teachers which employed a peer teaching model. Our results show that factual recall was significantly related to the roles students adopted in classroom interactions and to their prior knowledge of formal schooling. Our findings replicate earlier research on the mediating effects of prior knowledge on learning and demonstrate how student centered instructional approach contributed to factual recall of course content.

Authors

• David J. Lemay, McGill University

• Mark W. Aulls, McGill University